I have quite a different viewpoint. I think death was God's way of saying, "You're ready to become an [official] angel." Because, let's face it, this world really isn't so great, especially for animal lovers. I think death may have been her reward in this case; she most certainly went up rather than down
And hey, at least she wasn't the person who hit and killed her; I can only imagine how that poor bastard must feel! Speaking of hell...